[“Stranger,” he repeated, once he had caught her attention, “Would you like to have a seat?”] [RE4 fic] While Leon enters a warehouse, Ashley has a chat the mysterious merchant. Blue fire, tea that isn't much more than water and leaves, etc.

A
little past the village, up a long road, down a lift which also served
as shooting range to test a new rifle, down some stairs,
back to a dirt road and near a pair of metal doors stood Leon,
exchanging some pesetas for a few upgrades to his weapons.

"Come
back anytime," said the Merchant with a light chuckle after the
American was finished purchasing.

"Ashley?"
He called.

The
girl was not too far behind, on the highest area of the road,
standing on her toes to try and get a peek at what could be on the
other side of the metal doors that they had to continue through. She
could probably only see the roof of the moderately big warehouse.

She
heard her new bodyguard and looked back at him, noticing he was ready
to go. She quickly caught up to him and advanced on, waiting
patiently as Leon pushed one of the heavy doors open with some ease.

"It
looks like a dead end…" she could be heard commenting as they
disappeared into the next area.

To
the merchant, who knew more or less what they'd been through, both
seemed fearless enough at this point.

He had a
slight idea of what was up ahead; he had heard and knew many things,
but in this case, it was just the feeling that he got by approaching
the place. If it weren't for that, he would've waited for the
strangers in the warehouse, as it would surely be a good place for
business that would allow him to display his items to his heart's
content.

Now he
wondered if the nameless male he had been dealing with would get that
feeling too. Would he turn back and reappear soon, or would be never
reappear at all? Would he dare enter accompanied by such a young
girl?

The
stranger already seemed too protective of
her; she was unarmed and unprepared in every sense, from the scared
look in her eyes to the unpractical clothes she wore.

Though,
those things made her seem like a stranger of class, which intrigued
him. Surely she could have enough on her to pay for a useful gun of
her own, yes, and some upgrades to make it comfortable for someone
like her.

But what
could have brought a stranger of class to the village?

He had his
own information, but it was scarce, and allowed him to know no more
than that the first stranger was important to Lord Saddler.

Leon, as
he'd heard the girl call the second stranger, never spoke much. He
said he had a mission to do. Well, the merchant had plenty of time,
and perhaps the female would be more willing to tell him about their
story.

A stranger
of class and a stranger with a mission; how he'd like to hear their
tale.

-:-

"I've
got a bad feeling about this…" Leon muttered, placing his hand on
the door's handle but keeping it still.

Ashley
nodded, taking a look around the area. "I'm sure I can hide
somewhere here."

She took
off, but was only able to take a few steps before Leon's voice
stopped her.

"Wait!"

A single
villager scared her enough; to her, every area had that terrible
foreboding feeling and this one was no different. If it seemed any
more dangerous than the usual old cabins with herbs or documents in
them, Ashley wouldn't notice.

She
thought Leon should see these things much clearer, and for him to
seem this decisive now, it had to be very serious.

"Yes?"

"Go
back," he said, not looking at her, "Stay at the other side of
the door, alright?"

She
nodded again and ran back to the previous area, having to lean all
her weight on the doors to open them. The girl nervously looked back
at Leon and saw him enter the warehouse before closing the door
behind her.

He'll
be ok, she reassured herself, still
standing there.

She let
herself slide down to the ground and sat quietly, resting her chin
atop her knees. Again, she'd have to wait and worry, both about her
own protection and about her bodyguard's safety. She wasn't sure
of how long it had been already since she was freed from her cell at
the Illuminados' church, but all the worrying she'd had since
them had her tired.

Most of
all, she was freezing and growing hungry, but she simply wouldn't
complain about that to Leon. It would only give him more burdens to
deal with.

"Stranger."

She
raised her head quickly. Ah, forgot
about him.

Ashley
stood up slowly, looking at the old merchant who was now sitting in a
box of who-knows-what-kind-of-weapon.

"Stranger,"
he repeated, once he saw he had caught her attention, "Would you
like to have a seat?"

He
pulled close another box, making sure to place it closer to the
warmth of the blue flames, then motioned the female towards it. The
stranger of class seemed to hesitate for a moment (perhaps going
through their past encounters and pondering how trustworthy he was?),
but soon enough she seemed to look longingly at the fire and
approached.

As she
moves closer and sat, she seemed to smile a little and relax.
"Thanks, I needed a rest."

He smiled
as well, unnoticed under the cloth that covered his mouth and nose,
and leaned back on his seat, leaning on the stone wall behind him.

"You and
the other stranger have been here for a while," he commented,
trying to decide whether he needed to make use of his practiced
manners, "What brought ya here?"

The girl
was looking away, staring at the blue fire with an indescribable
expression as she put her hand closer then farther away from it. She
paused and folded her hands neatly in her lap.

"I was
kidnapped… for that Saddler man."

The
merchant nodded, furrowing his brow slightly. Perhaps, it would be
better to ask about that later. He pointed at the fire the girl had
been examining. "…have you never seen something like this,
stranger?"

"No…
why is it blue?"

"So I'll
be easier to find for those who are looking for me. If I used normal
red fire, it would call for unwanted visits."

She didn't
seem satisfied with this kind of answer; this made the merchant smile
again. He preferred things this way.

"Um…
it isn't as warm as normal fire," she commented, putting her
hands close again.

It
isn't? "But it burns worse.
Careful, stranger."

She put
her hands away quickly and tried to look at the man casually. "My
name is Ashley."

"Ashley…"
He repeated, his voice low and raspy as usual. "If you're still
cold, I think I have something around here that I can offer you."

Ashley
could have sworn she saw the merchant's eerie
blue eyes give some kind of red glow as he turned and headed inside
his tent, returning later with two cups. She already had many things
she'd like to know about him (his name, to start with), but she
didn't yet dare ask.

She smiled
gratefully as he questioned what she'd like, "Just tea, please."

The older
man poured perfectly clean hot water into the cups and added what
seemed like no specific type of leaves; it smelled sort of like tea,
and the colour looked like tea's as well.

"Thank
you!" She said as he handed her one of the cups.

The
merchant chuckled at her enthusiasm and sipped his drink – Ashley,
on the other hand, gulped down a good quantity and soon felt her face
twist into a look of disgust.

She shook
her head, reminding herself it would be extremely impolite to react
that way to a drink she'd been given, but she couldn't help
looking down at the liquid oddly.

At this,
the man gave a hearty laugh.

"Slow
there, lady" He said, "It isn't precisely the best tea, but
it's all I could get around here."

She
laughed as well and tried taking a sip of
it; indeed it warmed her up, and by drinking slowly and swallowing
quickly the taste wasn't that bad.

"Ashley,
you aren't from anywhere near here, are ya?"

"Nope,"
she answered, feeling more relaxed now that she wasn't freezing,
though she was still hungry, "I'm from America. Actually…
daughter of the president of the United States, if that explains
anything."

The
merchant nodded, beginning to understand now. "So, the other
stranger…"

"Leon.
He came to rescue me."

"You too
are going through quite the adventure, eh."

He was
even more intrigued now than before; so that was what the commotion
had been all about. Perhaps, this was even the reason the virus that
crazed everyone had been released upon the village.

But it was
a good story, and it wasn't the girl's fault, so he was no one to
make judgement.

"I
guess," continued Ashley, smiling as she looked at her feet. "But
it hasn't been that bad, Leon's done his best to protect me. Now
we just have to get out of here."

"I
have seen that, and some of the stranger's fights," he commented
thoughtfully, deciding it was alright to tell the girl this, "That
monster in the lake… and heard him kill the giant, too."

The
monster in the lake was something Ashley hadn't heard of, but at
this point nothing seemed too weird. She simply continued sipping her
drink little by little, and let herself wonder for a while what could
be keeping Leon in that warehouse for so long; death? Definitely not.

"Here,"
she heard the merchant say, pulling her out of her thoughts, "you
must be hungry."

She
reached for the packet of crackers he was offering her, and examined
one carefully after taking it.

"Thanks
again, "she said, taking a bite out of the extremely salty cracker;
just how she liked them back home anyway. "I really needed to eat
something and get warm, how can I repay you?"

"No
need."

"Sir,
um… aren't you leaving too? Maybe you could come with us."

He paused,
seeming to consider it for a while.

"No…
not leaving yet."

"But…"
Ashley muttered, disappointed. "Why do you stay in such a place?
Why… are you even here?"

The
merchant smiled yet again, amazed at how often he'd been doing that
since he sat down, and answered simply. "I'm here because I might
be needed here. I don't think I should leave just yet."

The
president's daughter nodded, quickly glancing at the metal doors
from which Leon should reappear.

"You
sound fond of this place. Are you from here?" She asked boldly,
setting her cup down beside the box she was sitting on.

Her
company did the same. "Something like
that."

"Why
aren't you like them?"

"I
didn't say I was part of this village."

"I… I
think you are."

Suddenly,
the creaking and screeching sounds upon the metal gates signalled the
return of Leon, and both quickly turned their heads to him.

Ashley
smiled widely and stood up, about to call his name and rush to him,
when the mysterious man she'd been talking to grabbed her arm. She
looked back questioningly, but he stayed silent and only held out the
rest of the packet of crackers, which she took contently, giving a
grateful nod.

He stood
up as well and pulled his scarf back over his mouth and nose, back to
his usual spot.

"Leon!"
Ashley called, running to the young man.

"Hey,"
he answered, smiling at her seemingly renewed spirits. "Shall we
get going?"

Ashley
nodded and walked ahead of him, waving at the merchant as they went
by, and soon they were back at the stairs.

Leon
looked back and placed a hand on the girl's
shoulder. "Anything happened while I was gone?"

"Nope,"
said the Graham girl. "You alright?"

"Eh…
yeah, just wanting to get us back home soon," Leon said, shaking
his head with a short laugh.

Ashley
stepped back to walk by his side.

"Hungry?"

"A
little."

"Um…
here!"

The
American agent looked at her with eyebrow raised, glancing at the crackers
that she offered, then back at her, and back to the food.

"Where
did you-?"

Ashley put
a cracker to his lips, silencing him. "Here you go."

She
laughed and let him lead the way, glad that he didn't make anymore
questions or comments other than a quiet "Salty huh".

-End-

Well, that was it, first story for this section. Comments, suggestions, requests, critic, thoughts, etc? Leave me a review!

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